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  Information access system information providing device information access device information providing mehtod and information acess methodRelated Patent Categories: Electrical Computers And Digital Processing Systems: Multicomputer Data Transferring, Remote Data Accessing, Using Interconnected NetworksInformation access system information providing device information access device information providing mehtod and information acess method description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060095543, Information access system information providing device information access device information providing mehtod and information acess method. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application claims priority to Japanese Patent Document Nos. P2003-130788 filed on May 8, 2003, P2003-169783 filed on Jun. 13, 2003, and P2003-169825 filed on Jun. 13, 2003, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to an information access method, an information distribution device, a meta information distribution device, an information reception device, and an information access method. [0003] Conventionally, in a content service for offering main contents including broadcast programs, books in print, music, and others over a network exemplified by the Internet, for information search related to such main contents in televisions or others, for example, main contents such as programs are sent out to reception devices exemplified by PCs (Personal Computers), and a search is made for information related to the main contents in the reception devices. [0004] The information or others about the main contents has been also sent out to the reception devices as meta information about the main contents. As an example, refer to JP-A-10-177532. [0005] The issue here is that the meta information about the main contents is collectively forwarded to the reception devices as a whole of the meta information. Thus, for reception, the reception devices could not have selected only any desired meta information from the whole of the meta information. What is more, no change could have been made for the meta information and others of the main contents related to a broadcast program if the program was on the air. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] The present invention provides in an embodiment information access method, information distribution device, meta information distribution device, information reception device, and information access method with which the reception devices receive only any needed meta information without receiving the whole of the meta information, and acquire from the received meta information any intriguing contents. [0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, provided is an information access system including an information distribution device for distributing a content, a meta information distribution device for distributing meta information related to the content, and an information reception device for receiving the content. In such an information access system, characteristically, the information distribution device is provided with an identification information transmission section for transmitting, to the information reception device, a meta information reference ID for referring to one or more pieces of metal information coming together with the content. The information reception device is provided with an identification information reception section for receiving the meta information reference ID coming from the information distribution device, an acquisition information capture section for capturing acquisition target information including a target set for meta information acquisition, and an acquisition command section for generating acquisition command information for acquiring any target meta information based on at least either the meta information reference ID or the acquisition target information. The meta information distribution device includes a meta information extraction section for extracting, from one or more pieces of meta information, only a part of the meta information instructed by the acquisition command information with reference to the acquisition command information coming from the information reception device. [0008] According to the present invention in an embodiment, the information distribution device in the information access system transmits, as occasion arises, to the information reception device, the meta information reference ID for meta information identification. The information reception device receives the meta information reference ID, and after completing the selection of the meta information related to the meta information reference ID, extracts only any target meta information at least from the meta information based on at least either the selected meta information reference ID or the acquisition target information for use of meta information acquisition. With such a structure, by previously transmitting identification information including the meta information reference ID to the information reception device, and by transmitting the minimum amount of the content-relating meta information, the information reception device can receive and manage only any needed meta information without receiving unnecessary meta information, whereby the communications processing can be improved in efficiency. [0009] A possibility determination section may be so structured as to use, as a determination factor, the update possibility of the meta information corresponding to the acquisition target information at hand. [0010] The identification information transmission section provided to the information distribution device may be so structured as to send out the meta information reference ID using broadcast waves. [0011] The information reception device may be so structured as to further include the possibility determination section for making a determination about the update possibility of the meta information, and an updated meta information request section for generating meta information request information used for asking the meta information distribution device for meta information. With such a structure, when the meta information forwarded to the information reception device has been updated on the side of the meta information distribution device, the meta information can be automatically updated in real time. [0012] Based on update determination information indicating whether the meta information has the update possibility, the possibility determination section may be so structured as to determine whether the meta information can be updated or not. With such a structure, the meta information determined as not updatable requires no update confirmation process, thereby increasing the efficiency of the update process. [0013] Based on the meta information request information coming from the information reception device, the meta information distribution device may be so structured as to include a meta information search section for making a search for the meta information requested by the information reception device. [0014] The meta information request information may be so structured as to at least include version information of the meta information. Note here that the version information of the meta information may exemplarily show the update frequency or others, for example. [0015] The meta information search section may be so structured as to make a search for, out of the found meta information, the meta information whose version information is the latest. With such a structure, if the version information of the meta information is the latest, the meta information is considered as having the highest update probability so that it can be swiftly checked on the information reception device side whether the information is updated or not through comparison of the version information. [0016] With the meta information search section, derived is such a structure that the meta information having the largest number of version information of the meta information is to be searched. With such a structure, by checking the meta information having the highest update probability, it becomes possible to swiftly check whether the information has been updated or not. [0017] The meta information search section may be so structured as to compare between the version information included in the meta information request information and the version information of the found meta information. With such a structure, it becomes possible to check whether or not the meta information has been updated on the meta information distribution device side. This can favorably lead to reduction of the processing load for the information reception device. [0018] According to a second aspect of the present invention, provided is an information distribution device for distributing a content to an information reception device through selection of meta information coming from a meta information distribution device by the information reception device. The information distribution device includes an identification information transmission section for forwarding, to the information reception device, a meta information reference ID used for referring to one or more pieces of meta information coming together with the content. Note here that the above information distribution device has almost the same structure as the information distribution device applied to the information access system, and thus no detailed description is provided here again. [0019] Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, provided is an information reception device for receiving a content from an information distribution device by a meta information distribution device distributing meta information related to the content. Such an information reception device includes an identification information reception section for receiving a meta information reference ID for identifying the meta information coming from the information distribution device, an acquisition information capture section for capturing acquisition target information including a target set for meta information acquisition, and an acquisition command section for generating acquisition command information for acquiring any target meta information based on at least either the meta information reference ID or the acquisition target information. Note here that the above information distribution device has almost the same structure as the information distribution device applied to the information access system, and thus no detailed description is provided here again. [0020] The acquisition target information may be so structured as to at least include an index of the meta information, and the index may be so structured as to include an attribute of the meta information. [0021] The acquisition information capture section may be so structured as to capture the acquisition target information in which an acquisition target is group meta information as a result of grouping a plurality pieces of meta information. Each attribute or index of the meta information included in the group meta information may be so structured as to be substantially the same. Continue reading about Information access system information providing device information access device information providing mehtod and information acess method... 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